Migrating a New WordPress Site

Migrating a new WordPress website to an old domain involves a few key steps. Here’s a straightforward process:

1. Backup Your Websites:
   • New Website: Backup the files and database of your new WordPress site. You can use plugins like UpdraftPlus or manually export the database and copy the files.
   • Old Website: Backup the old website as well, just in case you need to revert any changes.
2. Update DNS Settings:
   • If you’re moving to a different hosting provider, update the DNS settings to point to the new server’s IP address.
3. Transfer Files:
   • New Site Files: Copy all files from your new site’s directory to the old domain’s directory. You can use an FTP client or a file manager provided by your hosting provider.
4. Export and Import Database:
   • Export New Database: Use phpMyAdmin or a similar tool to export the new site’s database.
   • Create New Database: On the old domain’s server, create a new database or use an existing one if it’s empty.
   • Import Database: Import the exported database from the new site into the old site’s database.
5. Update wp-config.php:
   • Edit the wp-config.php file on the old domain’s server to reflect the new database name, user, and password.
6. Update Site URLs:
   • Database: Use phpMyAdmin or a similar tool to update the site URL in the database. Search for and replace old domain URLs with the new domain URL in the wp_options table (fields siteurl and home).
   • Search and Replace: Use a plugin like Better Search Replace to update URLs in the content.
7. Update Permalinks:
   • Log in to the WordPress dashboard on the old domain and go to Settings > Permalinks. Click Save Changes to refresh the permalinks.
8. Check and Update Paths:
   • Ensure all paths in your themes and plugins are updated if they include absolute URLs pointing to the new domain.
9. Test the Site:
   • Thoroughly test the site to ensure everything is working correctly. Check for broken links, missing images, and functionality.
10. Clean Up:

• Delete the old site files if they are no longer needed and clear any caches.